2008-09 Barcelona Home Jersey Reviewed

For the 2008/2009 season, Barcelona are again wearing a home kit designed and manufactured by Nike. I was able to get my hands on the shirt recently and here are my thoughts regarding the shirt.

There are some replica soccer jerseys that are perfect for wearing in the street that are more aesthetics than a practical football shirt. In the case of the Barcelona jersey, it’s more of a practical shirt than a fashionable piece of clothing. Don’t get me wrong, the design is beautiful and very unique to Barcelona. But as an item of clothing, the half dark red and half blue is certainly not going to impress the non-football watching public – if that’s what your aim is.

To me, football shirts are much than fashion or sporting wear. They’re a form of coded communication to let other people know that you’re a football fan and you support the club that you wear. It’s a form of identity. A few weeks ago while standing in line at a local library, a woman asked me if I was a Barca fan. I replied no, but we proceeded to have a long conversation about her home in Brazil and how her husband was a Barcelona supporter.

The shirt itself is comfortable to wear. On the back collar is a neat feature that has the words “Mes que un club” featured, which translates to “More than a club.”

Directly beneath the slogan is another badge inside the shirt which reads “El cant del Barca,” which means the “Song of Barcelona.” Obviously Barca fans have a lot of pride in their club and that is encapsulated in the shirt design. Kudos to Nike.

The jersey contains the same classic red and blue colors of Barcelona and reverts back to the half-and-half colored jerseys from the striped tops. The Barcelona crest and Unicef logo are both found on the chest.

About The Author

Publisher of World Soccer Talk, Christopher Harris founded the site in 2005. He has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Guardian and several other publications. Plus he has made appearances on NPR, BBC World, CBC, BBC Five Live, talkSPORT and beIN SPORT.
Harris, who was born and raised in Wales, has lived in Florida since 1984, and supported Swansea City since 1979. Last but not least, he got engaged during half-time of a MLS game.

4 Comments

zebalonSeptember 20, 2008

you said that the shirt represents your identity and the club that you support but you also said that you own a barca shirt but dont support barca? weird.